Anti-immigrant Slovakian premier set to win third term

Sunday, March 06, 2016 - 01:12

Slovaks are likely to hand a third term at the polls on Saturday to Prime Minister Robert Fico, a left-wing nationalist whose anti-immigration views chime with neighbors Poland and Hungary. Gavino Garay reports.

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Over four million Slovak voters took to the pools on Saturday in a parliamentary election set to determine the small European nation's stance on immigration.
Prime Minister Robert Fico was among those casting his ballot, and polls show he's likely to win his third term.
He's a left-wing nationalist whose anti-immigration views echo those of neighbors Poland and Hungary.
He opposes immigration -- even by refugees -- and dismisses multi-culturalism as a "fiction".
But his opponent, Party Siet leader Radoslav Prochazka, shares anti-immigration views, as well, and is opposed to compulsory migrant quotas by the EU aimed at tackling the migrant crisis.
Which means Brussels is watching the vote closely.
Slovakia take over the EU rotating presidency in July -- giving it a bigger role in EU policy discussions over the migration crisis that saw over million refugees pour into Europe last year.